We started our visit of London…outside of London! After a short stop at the Tower of London to see the poppy installation, we headed toward Canary Wharf and Greenwich, a few kilometres to the east, on either side of the Thames. Canary Wharf is the modern financial centre, all glass and metal. You’ll see it on the horizon on some of the pictures that follow. Much more compact than La Défense in Paris, this area is also a little less inspiring from an architectural point of view.

Our ultimate goal was a visit to Greenwich, south of the Thames. This charming little town is famous for having been a major centre for the British Royal Navy for centuries, for the presence of the equally famous Cutty Sark, and the fact that you don’t pronounce the “w” in its name! And I almost forgot: this is where you can go from east to west, hopping over the zero meridian!

Greenwich Foot Tunnel: Pour passer d’une rive à l’autre de la Tamise, on emprunte ce tunnel piétonnier de 370m de long construit en 1902. / To go from one shore to the other, you can walk through this 370m long pedestrian tunnel built in 1902.A la sortie du tunnel, on a droit à une vue plutôt champêtre de Canary Wharf sur l’autre rive de la Tamise. / On exiting the tunnel, you can see a fairly bucolic view of Canary Wharf on the other side of the Thames.Old Royal Naval College Construit par Christopher Wren à l’origine comme un hôpital de vétérans à la fin du 17e siècle, ce magnifique édifice servit de centre d’entraînement pour la Marine britannique jusqu’en 1998. / Built by Christopher Wren as a veteran hospital at the end of the 17th century, this magnificent building also served as a school for the Royal Navy until 1998.Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul.Painted Hall. Un hall qui a servi de salle à manger pour les vétérans et ensuite aux officiers de la Royal Navy. / Hall where meals were served to the veterans and then to the Royal Navy Officers.Queen’s House: Superbe escalier en colimaçon, intérieur du Queen’s House. / Superb spiral staircase inside the Queen’s House.Royal Observatory: C’est là qu’on peut voir le tracé du méridien zéro, qui sépare la terre d’est en ouest sur toutes les cartes géographiques. Si vous avez la patience de faire la queue, vous pouvez vous faire photographier le chevauchant! / That’s where you can see the line of the zero meridian, which separates the earth from east to west on all maps. If you have the patience to wait in line, you can have your picture taken straddling the two sides!The City: Au loin, on peut voir les tours modernes de la City, le quartier financier historique de Londres. De nombreuses tours ont émergé dans les dernières années, et encore plus sont en chantier! / In the distance you can see the modern skyscrapers of the City, the historic financial district of London. Many towers have emerged in recent years, and many more are in the works!